· The Handover of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
by Romania

· The Taking over the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
by Croatia

“ Working Community of the Danube Regions, its added
value for danubian regions and its connection to the European Strategy for the
Danube Region.

In addition to keynote inputs and discussions with
experts, some best practice projects from the Danube Region were presented and
debated, accordingly.

Follow up: the Annual FORUM will stand with the conference as a side event of the Danube strategy, as
part of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR),
according to the oficial understandings leveraged with The Office of the Lower Austrian
Provincial Government, Department for International and European Affairs in its
function as Chair of the Working Community of the Danube Regions. ”

As Presidency of
the EUSDR (November 2018-October 2019), Romania is doing its best to reach
consensus among the participating countries for ensuring full implementation of
the Danube Strategy main objectives. Romanian Presidency proposed the goal to
re-launch the Strategy by bringing it higher on the political agendas of EUSDR
states and by stimulating further involvement at the technical level.

The ongoing
revision process of the EUSDR Action Plan represents a very important step in
the direction of the making the Strategy more inclusive, more efficient and
better corelated to EU policies. This complex process requires both political
and technical inputs from all involved countries and stakeholders. Romania
plays its role as facilitator of consensus within the Revision Process of the
EUSDR Action Plan.

Throughout its
mandate, Romania promotes four priority topics and directions of actions:

Improving connectivity and mobility in the Danube region by
promoting transport, tourism, digitization and people-to-people contacts;

Re-launching the Strategy within the process of updating the Action
Plan of EUSDR by creating synergies between key-stakeholders in the Danube
region and the European Commission;

Promoting good practices regarding legal and administrative matters
within EUSDR Priority Areas in close collaboration with the public
administration, the academic and the business community, social actors;

Fostering transnational cluster development by supporting an
exchange of best practices among various entities taking part in the
EUSDR.

EUSDR

Officially launched in 2011, it is one
of the four macro-strategies existing at the level of the European Union, being
co-initiated by Romania and Austria and representing a mechanism for the
cooperation of the Danube basin countries for the economic, social and
territorial development of the macro- the Danube region. Fourteen states are
participating in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region: nine Member States of
the European Union (Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia,
Germany as Federal State and the Länder of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary) and five non-EU countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Montenegro, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine).

Almost 10 years after its initial launching, the EU
Strategy for the Danube region entered its first process of reviewing its main
structure, objectives, targets, actions and projects. Since in June 2018, the
ongoing process of updating the EUSDR Action Plan represents a very important
step in the direction of relaunching Danube Strategy and aligning it to the
post 2020 EU framework.

The revision of the
EUSDR Action Plan is a complex process that requires both a political and a
technical involvement of all stakeholders. The Romanian EUSDR Presidency
continued the efforts made by Bulgaria during its 2018 mandate as
Presidency-in-office of EUSDR, of launching an inclusive, transparent and
comprehensive process of consultations for the Revision of the Action Plan. The
Romanian Presidency of EUSDR is committed to work with all EUSDR countries, DG
Regio/European Commission and other relevant stakeholders to the benefit of the
Danube region and its citizens. Overall, the re-launching of the EUSDR and the
Process of Revision of the Action Plan involve a lot of efforts and a strong willingness
on part of member states of EUSDR countries.

In preparing the
new programming period for cohesion 2020+, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region is revising
its Action Plan.
All EUSDRactors , including National Coordinators, Priority Coordinators
and Steering Groups and Stakeholders from Danube countries, are currently
involved in drafting their inputs for the new Action Plan of the EUSDR.

According to the UPDATED
TIMELINE FOR THE REVISION OF THE EUSDR ACTION PLAN, endorsed at the meeting of the EUSDR National
Coordinators (14-15 February 2019), the first draft of the Consolidated
Proposal for the new Action Plan should be finished by the end of May 2019, based
on the document endorsed through consensus on 15 February 2019 allowing for Structuring the Consolidated
considerations of the NCs and PACs regarding the Revision.

As the Strategy is a
bottom-up process, beside key-stakeholders, all interested citizens from the
Danube Macro Region are being offered the opportunity to bring in their
proposals for the new Action Plan. Therefore, on the 4th of April 2019, Danube
Strategy Point launched an online consultation that allows to collect inputs
from the general public. The persons interested to take part in the Revision
Process are invited to send their proposals for new strategic projects and
actions as a valuable input for the future Strategy.

Moreover, during the 8th Annual Forum of
EUSDR from Bucharest (27-28 of June 2019), the Romanian Presidency of EUSDR
provided space for Public Hearings for
a broader exchange with stakeholders and civil society on the Revision Process’
working documents.

Based on a series of
consolidated inputs by all actors of the Strategy, the European Commission will
use the consolidated proposal to draft the New Action Plan, after consulting
the European Commission Services. Prospectively, the Commission Staff
Working Document is foreseen to be endorsed by the Ministers in charge of EUSDR
governance from the Danube Region in October 2019.

In order to see the
progress made in the revision process during the 2019 mandate as
Presidency of EUSDR, one can jointly with PACs and NCs below:

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